The expected increase in demand due to the worsening weather and the drop in temperature has alerted the authorities concerned, who are hoping for some mediation at the highest level to suspend the measures decided by the workers' unions of the Electricity Authority. On the government side, the Minister responsible, Natasha Pilidou, who is leaving for abroad, has made it clear that she is unable to enter into a dialogue under the pressure of the dynamic measures taken by the workers. The possibility of intervention by the President of the Republic, who will also be absent abroad from this Tuesday until Friday, remains open.Therefore, the next few hours are decisive for the continuation and therefore, some action should be expected from the government, possibly even from the Presidency of the Republic, as has happened in the past. "So far there is nothing to announce," said a competent source who spoke to the Cyprus Times late last night.
Distress signal
The seriousness of the situation sent a distress signal to the relevant departments, which took part in the meeting that took place on Monday morning at the Energy Regulatory Authority (RAEK). The Cyprus Transmission System Operator (TSO) announced that the six steam units of the Dhekelia Power Plant will not be available to the electricity system from 14 December and therefore, expects that challenges will arise in terms of generation adequacy to meet demand, the ability of the Transmission System to channel energy to urban centres and the absorption of decentralised Renewable Energy Sources (RES) generation. The Operator made it clear that the evolution of things will depend on the demand for electricity, which is directly linked to the weather conditions and the behaviour of the consuming public.
Mari conditions 2011
As a result of this situation, there is a real risk of collapse of the electricity supply system, as happened in the summer of 2011 after the destruction of the Vasilikos Power Station following the explosion at the naval base in Mari. In order to avoid a collapse of the system the Operator warns that it is obliged, if necessary, to make cuts in the electricity supply in the districts of Nicosia, Larnaca and Famagusta. It also warned that because the level of system reserves will be reduced, any failure of a generating unit will lead to further cuts in consumer load across Cyprus. In addition, because the ability to absorb decentralised renewable power generation is reduced, there will be increased cuts in the power generated from renewables. In case of variation of any parameters affecting the reliable operation of the Electricity System, such as extreme weather conditions, emergencies and breakdowns, there will be adverse measures, according to the Operator. As for the outages planned in the provinces of Nicosia, Larnaca and Famagusta, it is expected that a detailed announcement with times and duration will be made. First, however, it is expected that the outages will take place between 17:00 and 21:00, and will last between half an hour and one hour.
The trade unions of the employees of AHK argue that the units in question at the Dhekelia Power Plant are illegal and that the government has failed to replace them as promised. For its part, the competent Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, in response to the criticisms of inaction, points out that AHK has full autonomy in making decisions that affect its ability to operate successfully within the competitive electricity market, and that AHK has sole responsibility for the investment decisions it makes.
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